NONPROFIT DIVISION, MOBILE MEDIA CATEGORY
AN AWARD OF EXCELLENCE GOES TO…HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY LOGISTICS PREPAREDNESS – H.E.L.P.!
Website: www.disasterlogistics.org
The Challenge
Humanitarian Emergency Logistics Preparedness, Inc. (HELP) is a non-profit humanitarian relief organization devoted to meeting the needs of the many victims of natural and man-made disasters on a global basis. They target medical/health concerns in disasters and other areas of chronic medical need. Challenges they address range from disaster trauma (ie; blunt trauma, wounds, etc.) to HIV/AIDS, TB, Elephantiasis-Filaria, malnutrition-related disease, water-borne Illness, insect infestation disease and much more. These are areas where often times medical emergency crews are non-existent due to disaster (they themselves are dead), likewise their facilities are often damaged or destroyed or they are located in chronic needs areas where no one else wants to help. Additionally, in many third-world locations local medical staff are typically under-educated and under-equipped with no access to advanced medical resources.
The Ingenious Proposal
HELP wants to deploy more of their Doc-in-a-Box mobile telemedicine clinics and to expand their web-based community of volunteer physicians and hospitals around the globe. These clinics enable local physicians to have modern state-of-the-art facilities and expertise “looking over their shoulder” thus providing the latest technology and insight to the remotest regions of our world. Telemedicine utilizes broadband satellite communications, the Internet and cellular technologies to allow field personnel in real-time to diagnose critical patient information with the assistance of medical specialists anywhere in the world. The output of electronic stethoscopes, ultrasound imagery and other medical equipment are sent instantaneously to a staff of collaborating doctors. Additionally, the collaborating medical professional can see and speak to patients half a world away. HELP has proven this effective from a HELP mobile medical clinic in the remotest rural areas of a tsunami relief camp in India (a 9 hour train ride from the nearest airport) via satellite to medical professionals in Arizona and Florida. This was done live with the physicians speaking – through Christian missionary interpreters – to the patients and hearing their digital heart and lung sounds. As a result, doctors were able to develop accurate diagnoses and, through the HELP medical teams, provide treatment to tsunami victims who still to this day, have no other medical care available to them. Four hundred people showed up to the first of numerous clinics conducted by HELP during their most recent visit. “It’s always a challenge to triage large numbers like this as we can only afford to get the most extreme cases in front of doctors via the satellite link we were paying $13 per minute to use,” said HELP President Randy Roberson. “We hope to return again soon and bring more badly needed medicines and other resources,” he added. HELP has been working to address these needs in the third-world. Their target audience in India alone (where they have been very focused since the Dec 2004 Tsunami) is nearly 1.5 billion in number. They have also worked in Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Colombia, Turkey, El Salvador, Albania and Thailand. They have requests for help this year in Kenya, Darfur, Iraq, the Philippines as well as their ongoing efforts in India.
The Call
Obtain funding through various grants and technology awards (see http://www.netsquared.org/blog/britt-bravo/h-e-l-p-s-international-telemedicine-humanitarian-emergency-mobile-medical-clinic-network-interview-randy-rober) to enable HELP to supply 250 of the Doc-in-a-Box clinics to areas of chronic need in Africa, India, South America, the Philippines and American Indian Reservations. In addition, they will build their web 2.0 portal to accomplish three important tasks that not only provide better implementation of the telemedicine network to our clinics but also will provide sustainability long into the future. 1. Secure a web portal for physicians and hospitals to link to the mobile clinics. This will include complete video conferencing with all the various medical peripheral devices attached and displayable. Create integrated databases for ultrasound, x-ray and other imaging as well as audio files of digital heart and lung sounds, 2. Obtain additional secure portals through which the public and corporate sponsors can see the latest photos, videos and reports from the disaster locations. They will also be able to quickly and easily build their own fund-raising pages where they can invite friends to support the cause and track the effectiveness of their efforts. Corporate sponsors will be able to include their own corporate branding so the pages virtually represent what “XYZ Corporation” is doing to help with this disaster or chronic area of need. 3. There will be complete current financials displayed live 24/7 on the site that shows how every penny is spent. A main critical objective of HELP as grow to the next level is to be the most transparent non-governmental organization (NGO) on the planet.
The Success Story
Not only do these clinics provide increased expertise to be transmitted to the disaster field, they also present an outstanding opportunity to provide “tele-mentoring” to medical teams in the field. This will enable increased abilities on an ongoing basis as well as the help that is needed in times of extreme crisis. This offers a perfect example of “A hand up, not a handout” to third world countries and their people. It also gives physicians in the US and other highly developed countries the opportunity to make a difference overseas. In doing so H.E.L.P.‘s experience is that many find an equally significant change in their own lives. Project case histories will be tracked in the databases for ongoing review by foundations and other support mechanisms. 100% of public support will go to the projects with nothing being deducted. Reports required from field staff (complete with photos and/or video) will be constantly posted on each clinic’s blog for public review. This will provide complete accountability of the clinic’s productivity. This will also be tied to routine briefs from the various physicians who support these clinics via their telemedicine link.
